SYD-NYE

Our trip to Australia has come to an end, but we had an amazing time. We cherished our last days in Adelaide and then headed back to Sydney to ring in the new year.  Our flight allowed us to see the early fireworks show, and with taxis and Uber being so expensive that night, we decided to rent a car and Kara drove us around to see the rest of the show.  She was an excellent driver despite being on the opposite side of the car and the road, and only struggled with the turn signal/windshield wiper switch (perhaps some parking garage moments as well).  On our first day of 2020, we toured the Sydney Opera House and loved learning about its history and getting to see inside, especially because the main concert hall will close soon for 2 years of renovation.  

The roof tiles were designed to be self-cleaning // New sound-enhancing paneling is coming

Later we took a ferry to Cockatoo Island to see the Aussie version of Alcatraz and wandered the ship-making grounds.  Kara then drove us all over the East side of Sydney where we saw Darling Point, Watson's Bay, and Bondi Beach (which was way more crowded than Adelaide beaches).  The saddest part of all of this trip was the amount of smog we could see and smell throughout Sydney, and we even had some plans in Adelaide cancelled due to the bushfires.  The amount of fires and the enormous magnitude of the devastation is abnormal.

Sydney

Adelaide

When we came back to China, we spent an extra day in Xiamen to enjoy some warmth and transition back into winter.  We wandered one last beach and even found a Juicy Lucy.  It was a nice way to soften the blow of going back to work and being done with our mini-summer.